May 2016

It's been so long since blogging, I feel a bit out of the loop, combined with any inspiration and creativity which seem to have temporarily gone on holiday (along with patience).. I'm writing this in the newborn fog, where night time hours blur, and daytime hours seem in a weird slow motion, and the to-do list changes from 10 things to get done to 2, which give immense pride if completed...

We are delighted that Arran James Carlton Craig made his arrival a week early at 2.33am on 12th May, in a birth centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, weighing in at 7.7lbs or 3.3 kgs. Without going into the gory details, it was the most straight-forward of the three deliveries, and the dimly lit, calm birthing suite (equipped with birthing pool, en-suite and flatscreen TV) and matter-of- fact, sensible midwife, was a far cry from 5 years ago in Kenya giving birth to Amelie!

Amelie and Kenyan midwife

I'll take the liberty of using my post-birth hormones as a scapegoat, but being back in the newborn zone has made me feel quite nostalgic, as memories come flooding back about Amelie and Asher's births, one in Kenya, one in England..

Amelie

Asher

Meeting Asher in Reading 2013

Arran

and the reminder of how much the UK offers in terms of healthcare, freebies, aftercare, and what a privilege it was to extend our Home Assignment time in order to benefit from the healthcare system, and a wonderful support network here. I think about our Ugandan friends who are expecting babies at the moment, and feel a wave of fear thinking about their upcoming delivery and recovery and the need to pray for them, when the facts and figures of child and mother mortality are shocking and real, and are the names of people we've known.

We feel quite indebted to friends and family who have shown such kindness and generosity, and made the 'early blur' so much clearer than it could have been.

The other thing I've felt nostalgic about recently is thinking about my big brother Ian, whose anniversary of his tragic climbing accident was just a couple of days after Arran's birth. When you look at a scrunched up tiny newborn who literally just eats, sleeps and poops, it is hard to imagine and remember that they are a bundle of potential, to change their world, to make a difference, to make good/ bad choices, to influence others and stand up for their convictions. Ian was a remarkable person who never felt the need to comply with what society expected of him, and in his quirky, sometimes awkward manner, shone brightly wherever he was with his balding head and big smile and awful dress sense.

2 baldies! Ian, David and a friend Mike back in 2006..

Arran is named after the Scottish island of Arran; meaning 'strong'

James is David's great-grandfather's name and has strong family connections

and Carlton is David's Jamaican Grandpa's name- he turns 91 today, and has been another inspiring person who has gone against the odds throughout his life, coming from a background of slavery to make his mark on the Scottish education system as the first black headteacher, and itseems fitting that Carlton means Freedom

Great Grandpa Carlton amidst the commotion

So, for scrunched up, little sleeping Arran, our hope and prayer is that he will remain strong to his convictions, and find freedom in following God's ways, and stand up for those who are oppressed, fight for their freedom, and make his mark on the world.

Amelie and Asher are thrilled with their 'live dolly', and the novelty of Arran's slightly boring schedule hasn't worn off yet..

I am looking forward to all being settled in our home in Uganda in a couple of months time, but the thought of all the goodbyes, especially after this extra time to reconnect with people, is a hard and emotional thought, and the thought of packing and stocking up for the next couple of years in Uganda is something my mind can barely comprehend in the season of fog..

so for now, I'll take today as it comes, and try to get through the embarrassingly short 'to-do' list...